Out of reach
by TaleWeaver
Summary: Right after ‘Brainiac’, Alec confronts Asha about pretending to write down his phone number; in return, Asha delivers a few home truths about Alec, herself, Logan, and Max.


TITLE: Out of Reach  
  
AUTHOR: TaleWeaver  
  
DISCLAIMER: Alec, Asha, and co all belong to that James Cameron guy, and Cameron/Eglee Productions.  
  
RATING/CONTENT: PG.  
  
CATEGORY: Alec/Asha friendship; M/L, L/A and M/A implications.  
  
SPOILERS: Brainac, Gill Girl and Designate this.  
  
DISTRIBUTION: Ask and ye shall be considered.  
  
SUMMARY: Right after 'Brainiac', Alec confronts Asha about pretending to write down his phone number; in return, Asha delivers a few home truths about Alec, herself, Logan, and Max.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I've got about a dozen M/A fics on the boil, but the one I finish first is the sole story with Asha in it and not Max. Go figure.  
  
MUSE-IC: 'Kiss Kiss', Holly Valance and 'Bohemian like you', The Dandy Warhols. (You can download it from Roswell Mp3's.)  
  
TIMELINE NOTE: This takes place the last night of 'Brainiac', after the EO broadcast.  
  
*  
  
Several heads - male and female alike - turned as the young man walked into Crash. The man deserved the attention; nearly impossibly handsome, he had a face worthy of a master sculptor, changeable hazel eyes, dark hair with golden highlights and a body as perfect as it was deceptive - though lean, there were hard, sculpted muscles beneath the jeans and jacket, as no few women in the bar could testify to first hand.  
  
Alec - formerly X5-494 - strolled up to the bar, where the bartender already had his regular drink waiting. Not only was Alec a generous tipper, but Alec had once hooked Charlie up with some quality pre-Pulse porn. As Alec approached the bar, his eyes alighted on a familiar blonde head at a nearby table, and after picking up his drink headed straight towards her - to the disappointment of several of the watchers.  
  
Asha Barlow, member of the subversive group S1W, was so engrossed in the notebook she was scribbling in that she didn't hear Alec's approach. But then, Alec was automatically sneaky by nature as well as long and painful training.  
  
"I thought that you urban crusader types needed to be alert at all times."  
  
Asha jumped and nearly knocked over her beer. "Alec!" she hissed.  
  
Alec merely gave her his trademark smirk, and settled onto the stool opposite hers. "So, I thought you'd be hot out of town now that your cover's blown."  
  
Asha smiled back and replied, "Actually, my cover's intact. The police files were corrupted by - get this - a melted candy bar."  
  
Alec's smirk melted into a genuine smile, thinking of the IT concentrate and his ever-present candy bar habit, as Asha firmly stomped down the resulting hormone surge. "So what's next?"  
  
Asha gestured to her notebook. "Celebration party slash council of war. Figuring out how to close the hole in security. Everyone's either on the dance floor or at the pool tables. Oh, and Alec? Do me a favor, and don't hustle any of my friends tonight? We've had a long couple of days."  
  
"I had a rough time too, y'know. But as it happens, I finished off the day with a nice profit."  
  
"Rough time? Yeah, right!"  
  
"That's no way to talk to someone who helped bust you out of prison."  
  
"No one asked you to get involved."  
  
"Brian was Manticore too. We take care of our own. Exposure issues. Besides. I thought you had my phone number. You're not the only one who doesn't need police attention." At Asha's shrug, Alec added, "My ego's not exactly fragile. All you had to do was say you weren't interested."  
  
"You didn't exactly try to get in touch with me, either."  
  
"Well, I accepted that yours is a valid lifestyle choice."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
Alec shrugged and replied, "I knew that your deathless passion for the noble Logan Cale was the driving force of your life - well, one of them anyway," Alec broke off to nod at Asha's notebook, "But I didn't realize before that you'd decided to stay chaste for him." While Asha was temporarily speechless from indignation, Alec asked, "What d'you see in him anyway?"  
  
Asha's eyes narrowed and she retorted, "What do you see in Max?"  
  
Alec's face went blank, his automatic expression from Manticore. His words were parade-ground curt. "Max and I work together extremely well in the field."  
  
"That's not what I meant and you know it."  
  
Alec's voice was cold. "Maybe you should explain what you mean."  
  
"For as long as I've actually known you - as opposed to us just pointing guns at each other - you've been head over heels. Logan and I were together for six months before he broke it off three years ago - what's your excuse?"  
  
"You've sniffed one too many canisters of gun oil, Asha. I don't know where you got that idea, but you're wrong."  
  
Asha's smile was mostly sympathetic. "Still in denial, huh? I thought you might be. Look, I'm no nun; I just know enough about men to realize that you're the type who works their way under a girl's skin, whether it's wanted or not, and my life's complicated enough as it is." Asha put her notebook away and grabbed her beer. "I'm already pining for one man in love with Max Guevara, I'm not going to make it two." Before Alec could reply, Asha stood and walked away.  
  
Alec didn't watch her go, just stared at the place where she'd been sitting for a few seconds. Then he slugged back the remains of his drink and slammed the glass back on the table. His face was set and blank as he headed for the stairs and into the night, trying very hard not the think about the truth of what Asha had said. Trying even harder not to hope that Max would still be at Brain's apartment - now his - when he got back there. 


End file.
